Twelve Days of Christmas: Festive activities for tamariki

One letter for Santa 

Help your tamariki write or draw a special message for Santa. They might list the toys or books they hope for, or draw a picture of their favourite Christmas moment. Encourage them to express their ideas, through storytelling, drawing, and writing. 

Make it extra magical by finding a local place that accepts letters to Santa, and let your tamariki post their letter. You could also decorate it with stickers, stamps or festive doodles to make it feel really special. 

Two backyard treasures 

Take a walk around your garden, neighbourhood, or local park, and help your tamariki find two small treasures. These could be natural items like pinecones, leaves, shells, or even safe, recycled bits, and pieces from home. 

Once collected, let your tamariki turn these items into simple gifts or decorations for whānau or friends. They might paint a pinecone, tie a ribbon around a leaf, or glue a shell onto a card. Encourage them to express their ideas, choose colours and shapes, and decide how they want their creation to look like. 

This activity supports creativity, problem solving, fine motor skills, and decision making. It also encourages social skills and thinking of others, helping tamariki learn about giving and sharing. Plus, it’s a fun way to celebrate the festive season while connecting with nature and everyday materials. 

Three Christmas songs 

Sing three festive songs together with your tamariki. Let them choose their favourites, whether it’s “Jingle Bells,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” or a Kiwi summer song about the sun and beach. Singing together encourages language development, memory, rhythm and confidence. You can also add movement or simple instruments, like shaking a jar of rice or tapping spoons, to make it interactive and full of festive fun. 

Four water play ideas 

On a sunny summer day, set up a Christmas-themed water play area. Cups, sponges, ice cubes (maybe coloured with safe food colouring), and containers can all become part of a wonderful discovery. Add a few little waterproof Christmas figurines, or float plastic ornaments to make it seasonal. Water play encourages sensory exploration, problem solving, early science concepts, and imaginative play while helping tamariki cool off and have fun in the summer sun. 

Five kindness moments 

Talk with your tamariki about five small ways to show kindness this festive season. They could help set the table, share toys, make a Christmas card or drawing for someone they love, or leave a note for a neighbour. You might even create a simple “kindness tree,” adding a new idea each day, such as give someone a hug, inviting a friend to join their play, or let someone else go first on the swing. This activity supports social development, empathy, communication and contribution, while helping tamariki see how their actions can make a positive difference to others around them. 

Festive Christmas skewers 

Create festive Christmas skewers with your tamariki using six different fresh, colourful fruits and treats. Strawberries, kiwifruit, grapes and marshmallows are perfect for making red, green and white skewers/kebabs. You can also add cucumber, cheese, apple or any other Christmas coloured kai you like. Let your tamariki thread the ingredients onto skewers or cocktail sticks, arranging colours and shapes as they go. 

This activity supports fine motor skills, counting, pattern recognition, and creativity. It also encourages healthy eating conversations and shared mealtime experiences. Once assembled, enjoy them together as a yummy treat, or share with whānau and friends to spread some festive cheer. 

Seven items in a festive treasure basket 

Fill a treasure basket with seven fun and festive items for your tamariki to explore. Think red and green art supplies, fluffy pom poms, ribbons, small baubles, or other Christmas-coloured loose parts*. You could even include a few small jingle bells or colourful beads for sound and sparkle. 

As tamariki explore, they can sort, stack, roll, shake and imagine, discovering new textures, colours and sounds. Check out our treasure basket learning activity for more inspo.

*Consider the safety and appropriateness of items and that close supervision is always required. 

Eight moments of movement 

Create a mini movement challenge with your tamariki. Jump eight times, stretch for eight counts, walk on tiptoes for eight steps, or dance for eight seconds. 

For a festive twist, there are lots of fun, interactive Christmas-themed movement activities for children on YouTube. Dancing, following along with silly actions, and moving to music makes it playful, energetic and full of holiday cheer. 

Movement supports coordination, gross motor development, and concentration while letting tamariki have fun and burn off some energy. 

Treats for Santa’s nine reindeer 

Make a special treat for Santa’s nine reindeer with your tamariki. Mix rolled oats, birdseed, and dried fruit like cranberries or chopped apricots. Avoid craft glitter or anything non-edible to protect wildlife. 

Optional extras include a pinch of cinnamon, some dried mealworms, or grated cheese for added sensory fun. 

Once it is ready, head outside and sprinkle the reindeer food on the lawn or in the garden. Tamariki can enjoy measuring, mixing and noticing textures and colours as they prepare the treat. The reindeer food will help guide Santa’s reindeer to your home, and any leftovers provide a safe snack for local birds and wildlife. 

Christmas treasure hunt 

Take a walk around your neighbourhood and go on a festive treasure hunt with your tamariki. Can you spot ten different Christmas things? Look out for fairy lights, decorations, colourful trees like pōhutukawa or kowhai, or even holiday-themed signs in windows. 

As tamariki search, they are practising observation, counting, and language skills as they name what they see. This activity encourages curiosity, problem solving, and helps them connect with their local environment in a playful, seasonal way. 

Eleven natural decorations 

Gather some natural treasures with your tamariki and create your own Christmas decorations. You might use leaves, shells, small sticks, seed pods or flowers. You can also press these into air dry clay to make simple ornaments that celebrate the beauty of a Kiwi summer and create lasting memories. 

As tamariki collect, sort and create, they are exploring texture, pattern and shape. They are also practising fine motor skills and using their imagination to design something that feels special to them. This activity supports early science learning as they notice how natural materials feel and behave, and it encourages conversations about nature, seasons and caring for the environment. 

Twelve Christmas cookies 

Bake some simple Christmas cookies with your tamariki to share with Santa. Use cookie cutters, sprinkles and icing to make them colourful and fun. While the cookies are for Santa, he would want your tamariki to taste test them too! 

Once baked, you can leave the cookies out the night before Christmas with a little note from your tamariki. They might write or draw messages wishing Santa a safe journey or encouraging him along the way. This is a wonderful opportunity to talk about compassion, caring and thinking about others. 

Once your tamariki have gone to bed, make sure to take a bite out of a cookie and leave a few crumbs on the plate with a little thank you note from Santa.